


Repeating History, Changing the Future

by Amethystia



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Merthur - Freeform, Multi, Reincarnation, femarthur
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-02-25
Updated: 2016-08-23
Packaged: 2017-12-03 13:10:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/698618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amethystia/pseuds/Amethystia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A girl with a crush on her professor turns out to be much more than she seems, and so does her professor.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Meeting Merlin

**Author's Note:**

  * For [amsay](https://archiveofourown.org/users/amsay/gifts), [Amethystia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amethystia/gifts).



> Hi, everybody. Here’s a brand new story. It’s a modern AU reincarnation fic. It is femArthur. Many characters included, and multiple pairings, slash and not. So, read, review and enjoy!

My name is Arianna Dale. Mostly people just call me Ari. My mother is a history professor at our local University, as well as a published writer, and my dad is an archeologist, though he doesn’t go on location as much anymore, but he works for the university in dating historical artifacts.   
My family is far from normal. I have two younger siblings, twin boys, Alexander and Edward. Our family really enjoys history. We each have our own…area of expertise. For my mother, you could call it an obsession, mostly with King Henry VIII. She is an expert in Tudor Era and Elizabethan history. She runs the most in depth courses in the country. But surprisingly, her published books are completely fictional and having nothing to do with her obsession, not really anyway. My father specializes in ancient Egyptian artifacts. My mother once said that he could pick up and object, study if for a few moments, and tell you more about it than anyone she knew. Ed and Alex aren’t as interested in history as my parents and I, they are more into science and math.  
I also have an Uncle Alex, my mom’s younger brother, who is gay, and married to a man named Ron. My mother and her brother don’t talk to their parents anymore, they had some sort of falling out before I was born, and I’ve never even met them. My mother has a few cousins and aunts and uncles she still speaks to, though. On my father’s side, there’s my grandparents, and my aunt Lillian.   
Every year we go to England. My mother can’t seem to visit London enough. The last few times we went, I managed to convince my parents to take me to Wales. Because my “area of expertise” is King Arthur. I have studied every legend, read every myth. I guess you could call it my obsession. My whole family are avid horseback riders, and my mom loves medieval weaponry and armor, but I’m the only one who actually studied swordfighting. I still go to competitions, and I haven’t lost one yet.   
I also have three best friends. Chloe has been my best friend since birth. She’s sweet and a little bit too naive for her own good, but I love her nonetheless. She’s the daughter of my mom’s best friend, and I call her mom Auntie Sam, I have all my life. Liam is my second best friend. Chloe and I met him in grade 3. He’s a little silly, and very gay. He’s also a med student right now. And Gloria I met recently, when we were both freshmen at the university where my parents teach. She enjoys history as much as I do and we actually met when taking my mother’s first year Tudor history class. I make a habit to try to take my parents classes and the university hates it but they can’t actually stop me.  
-  
-  
I was in my room, lounging on my bed, reading, when my brothers came barging into my room.   
“Honestly, guys, in 17 years, you still haven’t learned to knock?” I snapped, without looking up.  
“Sorry, Ari.” Ed muttered, definitely the more polite of the two.  
“Oh well, anyway, we wanted to ask you a question.” Alex gasped out, excitedly.  
“And that question is?” I finally looked up at them, raising my eyebrows.  
“You know that guy Merlin, in all your legends, is his last name Emrys, or is that just something else he’s called?” Alex asked, hurriedly. I grinned. Merlin was my favorite part of the Arthurian Legends.  
“Well, there has been some debate about that. The druids called him Emrys, his mother named him Merlin. It is likely people over the years simply put the names together. Why?” I replied.  
“There’s a guy downstairs who introduced himself as Merlin Emrys.” Ed supplied.  
“What?! You let a strange man into the house? While Dad is away? What has he told you about that!? Where’s Mom?” I practically screeched at them.  
“Mom’s making him tea, actually. She said it was fine.” Ed tried to explain.  
“Of course she did! You know how she is! Some guy with a weird name comes along and she goes all fangirl.” I yelled.  
“Well, there was a bit of squealing…” Alex offered. I sighed and jumped off the bed, racing down the stairs. There he was, sitting on the couch. A man, no older than myself. Merlin Emrys, apparently.   
“Mr. Emrys, is it?” I asked. Just then my mom came in from the kitchen, holding a tray with hot tea and some cookies.   
“Ari darling, I see you’ve met our guest! His name is Merlin, imagine that! Isn’t Merlin your favorite character from Arthurian Legends? Didn’t you use to insist he was by far the best person to have ever existed?” My mother had a knack for saying embarrassing things. Don’t get me wrong, I love my mom, and normally she’s pretty damn awesome, but sometimes, she gets a little…weird.   
“Mom, stop it.” I hissed at her, as she walked past me and placed the tray on the coffee table.   
“Arianna, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” The man stood up and extended his hand. “Merlin Emrys. I’m a new professor at the university. You mother and I are colleagues. Once I heard about your fascination with Arthurian Legend, I just had to meet you. It’s my specialty as well. I will be teaching several classes this semester.”  
“Mom’s quite the gossip.” Ed said with a grin. I glared at him.  
“And see, he isn’t a stranger, he’s Mom’s colleague.” Alex added, grinning mischievously at me. I glared at him, too.  
“Don’t blame your brothers, Ari, I was the one who told him about you and invited him over.” My mother assured me. I sighed and sat down on the couch across from Merlin. Before I could open my mouth to say a word, our front door banged open.   
“Hey Ari, our Moms’ have got a movie date or something, and Mom said I should invite you and we can ‘double bestie date’ or something. You know how they are.” Chloe announced as she waltzed into the living room. Her mother, Auntie Sam was close behind her.   
“Jess, movie, now.” She said to my Mom, who laughed.   
“Sammy, my daughter has a guest.” My mother replied.  
“So?” Sam said, grinning, then continuing, “And look who we found, its ickle little Liamkins, and his new boytoy.” I raised my eyebrows as Liam came in, as slowly as possible, hand in hand with another boy. The other boy looked incredibly nervous and I couldn’t blame him. Chloe and her mom tended to do that to people. The poor boy. Then Auntie Sam frowned. “Well, we can give you a few minutes, I guess. Chloe, Liam, Boytoy, in the kitchen, now.”  
“Mrs. Whipps, please, my name is Adam.” The boy clutching Liam’s hand spoke up. Sam just laughed.  
“Adam the boytoy, then, into the kitchen with the lot of ya. And its Ms. Whipps, or Sam. I may be a married woman, but the name Whipps is all mine.” Sam said as she ushered them into the kitchen. I rolled my eyes.   
I sighed and sat down on the couch across from Merlin. My mother smiled encouragingly at me.  
“So, Mr. Emrys, which classes will you be teaching?” I asked, attempting to make a conversation. He smiled.  
“Please, call me Merlin.” He insisted, then continued, “I’ll be teaching first year Introductory to Arthurian Legend, second year Intermediate Study in Arthurian Legend, and fourth year Advanced Analysis of Arthurian Legend.” My eyes widened.  
“I’m taking the Advanced Analysis this year! They didn’t even offer it last year!” I exclaimed. Merlin grinned at me.  
“I know. I wrote the curriculum myself. Perhaps you’d like to assist me with the class? Your mother tells me you are already quite familiar with the Legends.” Merlin offered. My jaw dropped.   
“Really, you want my help?” I gasped.  
“Certainly, Arianna. I’ve heard from other professors as well—not just your mother—that you are the best there is when it comes to Arthurian Legends, and you aren’t afraid to speak out and correct people’s mistakes, even the teachers.” Merlin explained. My brothers were sniggering quietly at my awed expression. I didn’t even bother with them, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw my mom place her hands on their shoulders. They looked up at her and she shook her head. They stopped laughing after that. This was something I loved about my Mom. A single nod of her head, a look, a simple word, and she could do wonders. Auntie Sam used to joke that my Mom was the ‘Mother of all Mothers’ and had been since they were younger than I am, apparently.   
Before I could reply, Auntie Sam returned from the kitchen.   
“Jessssssssiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeee,” She whined at my mom. “Can we go now?” My mom rolled her eyes.   
“Alright, fine, Sammy.” She told her annoying best friend. She turned to Merlin, “You’re welcome to stay here and chat with Ari, Merlin.” Merlin shook his head, which disappointed me greatly.  
“No, I’d best be going. I’ll see you both at school. Arianna, your mother has my number and email if you want to talk to me sooner.” He explained, standing up and making his way to the door. I watched him, go, disappointment clear on my face. He smiled at me one last time and my heart fluttered a bit. After he left, I went to the kitchen, where, Chloe, Liam and his boyfriend Adam were sitting around the kitchen island, chatting away. Mom and Auntie Sam had already left, after shouting to Alex and Ed to stay out of trouble. The twins followed me into the kitchen.   
“Ari’s in luuuurrrrvvve, with her professor!” Alex teased. I punched him on the arm.   
“I am not!” I snapped at him.   
“Ari and Merlin, sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I—” Alex sang, with Ed humming along with him.  
“What are you, five? Honestly you two, just shut up.” I sighed. Chloe put a hand on my shoulder.  
“He’s pretty hot, though.” She said, as if this would comfort me. I threw my hands up in frustration and collapsed onto a kitchen stool.   
“No, no, no. He’s my professor! Nothing can happen. Ever.” I muttered, burying my face in my hands. Because I knew they we’re right. I did have a crush on my professor, the astonishing Merlin Emrys. I wondered if our family were fated to fall in love with people who had the same names as those historical characters we were obsessed with. My dad’s name is Henry, like King Henry VIII, my mother’s obsession. And now there was this Merlin. Who has the name Merlin anyway? I sighed heavily. Chloe stroked my back comfortingly.   
“It’s okay, Ari. I’m sure everything will work out just fine.”  
“I hope so, Chloe, I hope so.”


	2. Classes and Oddities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arianna is much too preoccupied with Merlin to focus in her first class. But then she meets someone who gives her the oddest feeling and Merlin says some very confusing things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! New chapter! Sorry it took so long. I was museless for a very long time. But I really like this story and hope to continue it from now on. Anyway, read, review and enjoy!

The last few days of summer break seemed to pass quickly, as I anticipated the start of my final year. And Merlin’s class. I hadn’t seen him since he’d come to our house. My mother, on the other hand, had seen quite a lot of him, in various staff meetings and such. My father had returned from his trip and my mother had wasted no time informing him of the new addition to the teaching staff. Including the rather embarrassing meeting between myself and Merlin. Dad’s reaction was rather different than Mom’s. He grinned at me, then patted me on the back. “Sounds like you have a great teacher this year, Ari.” Was all he said, in stark contrast to my mother’s little comments here and there. Mom could see immediately that I liked Merlin. She tried not to bug me, but this is my mom we’re talking about, she really just couldn’t help it. But the twins were the worst. The constant nagging, not to mention the singing, had me quite on edge. Mom probably could have stopped them, but she was busy with her planning and I didn’t want to bug her.

Finally the first day of classes came. My parents had asked me to drive my brothers to their high school, because I didn’t have a morning class, but they had to be in early for a staff meeting. First the twins fought over who would get shotgun, then they took forever to get ready to go. Finally they scrambled into my car (Alex having gotten shotgun, purely because he was the more aggressive of the two). I sighed and shook my head at their antics. The drive to the high school wasn’t long and soon they were clambering out of the car. They waved at me quickly before heading towards their friends. Alex and Ed were quite popular. The drive to the university was a little longer. I didn’t have class till ten, so I was still in plenty of time. When I arrived, I parked my car in the lot closest to my class. There was a cafeteria nearby so I went in and sat down. I pulled out a book and began to read.

“Arianna! How wonderful! I was hoping to catch you before class!” I heard a few moments later. I looked up from my book and immediately blushed. There stood Merlin Emrys, the man who had so occupied my thoughts as of late. I managed to smile at him.

“Hello, Professor Emrys.” I said. He smiled at me.

“Oh, please, if you’re going to help me teach, you might as well call me Merlin. Most of the younger professors are going by their first names in class anyway.” He replied.

“Help you teach?” I asked. He had been serious about that? I had thought at the time he was just being polite.

“Of course, no one this whole university is more knowledgeable about the subject than you or I, apparently, who else would I have help me?” He said, with a brilliant smile. “Oh, and I wanted to ask if you would be my TA for the beginner and intermediate classes. Would you?” He added. I grinned.

“I would love to!” I said, enthusiastically. He looked thrilled as well. “Well good! Here I’ll give you my cell number, so we can stay in touch outside of class.” He went to pull out a pen and paper. I laughed.

“Here, just put it in my phone.” I said, pulling it out, opening a new contact page and handing it to him. “No point in wasting paper. Then I’ll text you so you have my number. Much easier.” I added. He laughed too, quickly typing his number into the phone and handing it back. I texted him a simple ‘Hey, it’s Ari.’ He grinned when his phone beeped and he checked the message. He clicked a few buttons and typed in my name to add it to his contacts.

“How come you go by Ari? Arianna is such a beautiful name.” He asked, looking at me. I blushed.

“Well, when I was little, before my little brothers were born, I always went by Arianna. Though, my best friend, Chloe, who you met at my house, when she and her mom came barging in, could never quite pronounce it, called me Ria. My mother loved the name Arianna. But when my brothers were born and began to speak, my brother Alex’s first word was Ari. He couldn’t say the rest. And it just stuck. Now everyone calls me Ari. Except you. And when my parents are angry with me they call me Arianna. My Uncle Alex calls me RiRi, which I hate.” I was babbling. I knew it. But I was nervous and I knew I was blushing profusely as I trailed off. Merlin just smiled sweetly at me.

“Well, then I shall continue to call you Arianna. It’s a shame to shorten such a beautiful name. Such a shame.” He said, shaking his head. I had to hold back a laugh at that. I looked at my watch and gasped.

“I’m going to be late for my first class!” I exclaimed. “Sorry, Merlin! Let me know when you need me as a TA or otherwise I’ll see you in class tomorrow.” I called to him as I gathered my things and rushed to class. I arrived with only minutes to spare, but I could not pay attention. I was too focused on Merlin. And the way he said my name, as if it were the sweetest thing he’d ever heard. I sighed. I needed to focus on class, but Merlin’s face, and his voice kept popping into my mind. I had the strangest sense I knew him. It was in the same way I just knew things about Arthurian Legends. It was the certainty that led me to argue with teachers and correct textbooks. In all honesty, I could not explain it. I hadn’t even told anyone. Not even my Mom, who I never kept secrets from, normally. I blinked a few times to clear my head, trying to focus on the professor. But then my phone vibrated in my pocket.

I pulled it out and checked the message. It was from Merlin: _If you have time after your class, please meet me in my office. C Building, rm 385. Have fun in class! –Merlin_. I grinned at the way he signed his texts, even though his name would show up in my phone. I texted back: _I have a two hour break before my next class. I will drop by then, if that’s alright_. A few moments later his reply came: _Wonderful! I look forward to seeing you soon, Arianna_. I smiled, my cheeks going red slightly, before putting my phone away and looking back up at the teacher. It was not long before class was finished. I quickly packed up my books and headed to Merlin’s office.

When I got there I knocked on the door. “Come in!” Merlin’s voice called. I opened the door to reveal that Merlin was not alone. A tall, strikingly beautiful, black-haired woman sat in one of the chairs in front of Merlin’s desk, sipping tea. Merlin was at his desk, going through some papers. He looked up and smiled at me.

“Arianna! Welcome!” He exclaimed, jumping up from his desk. The girl turned to look at me. An odd shiver of recognition and the strangest sensation of fear went through me as she looked at me. I blinked a few times, and Merlin looked a bit concerned. “Arianna, this is my friend, Morgan Black.” He introduced. The woman, Morgan, stood and held out her hand.

“So this is Arianna. Merlin will not shut up about you.” She said as I shook her hand. I blushed deeply and she chuckled slightly. I looked over at Merlin to find him blushing too. “I’ve been quite excited to meet you. My brother and sister have as well. Same with all of Merlin’s friends. As I said, he won’t shut up about you.” She added. Merlin rolled his eyes.

“She’ll meet everyone in time, Morgan. And remember your promise.” Merlin told her. I cocked my head to the side.

“Yes, yes, Merlin. We won’t hurt the princess.” She replied. I was growing more confused. Merlin just sighed.

“Time for you to go, Morgan. Arianna and I have work to do.” He said, going to open the door for her. She laughed a little.

“Of course, work. Bye, Arianna! I hope to see you again soon!” Morgan said, moving towards the door. “Merlin, you know Matt and Moira and the knights won’t wait much longer. They’ll be the next ones to ambush you here. And if Arianna is here when Matt comes, she might feel worse than she did seeing me.”

“That’s enough, Morgan.” Merlin said. She shrugged and swept gracefully through the door. I stared at Merlin as he closed the door.

“Promise? Princess? Knights?” I asked, collapsing into the chair in front of his desk. “And what did she mean, feel worse?” I added. Merlin sat down and looked at me.

“It doesn’t matter for now. Morgan is just being silly.” He said, trying to laugh it off. But there was something forced about his laugh. I wanted to push further but he cleared his throat. “So, I thought maybe you could go over some of these lesson plans? Give me your opinion? I’m going to hand out small tests for my first classes, just to see how much everyone knows.” He began, handing me some papers, which I took and went through eagerly, making little comments here and there. More than an hour passed before I even thought to check the time. I sighed.

“Time to go?” Merlin asked. I nodded. “Sorry, I have another class now.” I said.

“That’s fine. I’ll see you tomorrow, Arianna.” He told me as I gathered my things. He stood to hold the door for me.

“Ever the gentleman, Merlin?” I asked, jokingly. Then he said the oddest thing.

“Old habits die hard, my lo-my lady.” He said. I frowned. I must have misheard, but I could have sworn he almost said ‘my lord’, which would have been very odd indeed. I decided to brush it off. He’d corrected himself, it probably meant nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm sure people are guessing who Morgan is. It's fairly obvious, I think. At this point the only reincarnated characters who have not been mentioned are Gwen, Elyan and Percival. Let's see if you can guess who the others are from the characters in the first two chapters. Getting one right will get a chapter dedicated to you, but I won't tell you till the chapter is published. Hint: some of the characters have been genderswapped to add confusion and all the characters that have been introduced or mentioned are reincarnated characters. All of them. 
> 
> Once all the characters have been revealed I will put up a reference list for your convenience.


	3. No More Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arianna the memories of her past life back in the most unexpected way, and learns some interesting things about those closest to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! New chapter! Sorry it took so long. Hopefully updates will be faster. No one guessed who any of the people were reincarnations of, so I had no one to dedicate this chapter to. Oh well. Read, review and enjoy!

We fell into a rhythm, in those few weeks, Merlin and I. It felt good, and we worked well together. Occasionally, I’d get these flashes, like I was creating scenes from the myths in vivid detail in my mind. For some reason, Merlin featured in nearly every one. But I never told a soul. I even came to like these flashes. I wondered if Merlin ever noticed when I zoned out when we were together. The flashes came most often in his company, and when I fell asleep at night. But this would seem like the lull before the storm compared to what was to come.

It had been nearly two months since that first day of classes, when I’d first gone to Merlin’s office, and met Morgan Black, and Merlin had nearly called me ‘my lord’. I was heading to Merlin’s office, with a stack of graded papers in my hand, thinking about how to tell him how horrible I was convinced they all were. When I approached the office, I heard raised voices inside. I slowed down to listen.

“You have to go! Now! She’s not ready! Go!” That was Merlin. He almost never raised his voice. Only occasionally, when he was on the phone with Morgan, or one or two of his other friends, but never this loud. He sounded angry, but he also sounded scared.

“She’ll be fine! I’m not gonna hurt her! We promised, remember? We’re all on the same side now!” A male voice, one I didn’t recognize, but it sent a shiver down my spine.

“That’s what I told him last time!” That was Morgan, for sure. What was going on?

“No! You killed him! She’s not just going to forget that if she sees your face!” Merlin was practically screaming now. Killed him? Killed who? Were they talking about me? What wouldn’t I forget if I saw whose face?

“She’s got to find out somehow! You said she was remembering anyway!” Another new voice, female this time, similar to Morgan’s, but deeper, somehow.

“I think she is! I’m not sure! She zones out, kind of! And she knows things no one else should, but she doesn’t know what they mean!” Merlin again. So he did know about the flashes. What the hell was going on?

“So tell her!” I wasn’t sure if that was Morgan or the strange woman.

“Tell her? Are you crazy? How the hell do I tell someone, especially her, something like that? Do I go ‘oh, by the way, Arianna, you’re the reincarnation of King Arthur, and I’m actually Merlin, sorry I didn’t tell you sooner?’?” My jaw dropped and I burst through the door, scattering the papers.

“I’m the WHAT?” I cried. But before Merlin could say anything, I saw the other occupants of the room. One was Morgan, I’d been right, another a woman I didn’t know, who looked like Morgan, only blonde, and the third, a man, about my height, with dark hair and a round face, obviously younger than me. My eyes went wide and I let out a scream before I fell to the ground in a dead faint, fear radiating through my body and in the last seconds before my head hit the ground I felt as if a sword had been plunged through me.

\--

Before I woke up fully, I seemed to be suspended in a half-dreaming state. The flashes I’d been seeing over the past weeks lined up in my head, a life time’s worth of what could only be memories. A short life time, but I lifetime nonetheless. The dreams I’d had as a kid suddenly made a whole lot of sense. That feeling I’d always had, that the legends were more than just stories, that certainty, suddenly made sense. Two pasts, two lives, Arianna and Arthur. I remembered Merlin. Oh I remembered him. My silly, bumbling, lovable servant. Magic. He had magic. He’d protected me, so many times. And he was still trying to protect me. Protect me from the fear and the onslaught of memories. Protect me from…

“Mordred!” I gasped as my eyes flew open. I was lying on the ground, my head pillowed in Merlin’s lap. Morgan and the other two peering down at me. Then Merlin’s head came into my sight.

“It’s okay, Arianna, he’s not going to hurt you.” He reassured me.

“I’m sorry, Arianna. I didn’t mean to startle you. You’re right, I was Mordred, and I did kill you, I’m sorry for that too. In this reincarnation I am called Matt. You’ve met my sister, Morgan, and this is my other sister, Moira.” Mordred, or Matt, as I suppose he was now, introduced.

“Morgana.” I said, looking at Morgan. Then I looked at Moira, “Morgause.”

“She does remember. Brilliant.” Moira said. I started to sit up.

“Yeah, I remember. It’s really weird. Didn’t you three orchestrate my death? And all of you tried to kill me more than once. I should have you killed or something.” I said, leaning back against Merlin unconsciously. I felt his rumbling laugh, and it made me feel strange.

“They’ve promised to be on their best behavior.” He informed me. Then he gently placed his hand on the side of my face, and I went beet red. “You’re taking this extraordinarily well.”

“Yeah, I suppose. Can I tell my mom? She’ll love this. Wait, is she reincarnated too?”

“Yes, she is the reincarnation of Ygraine de Bois. And Anne Boleyn, funnily enough. That should please her.” Merlin explained with another laugh.

“And my brothers? My dad?”

“Your brothers are the reincarnations of knights sworn to protect you. And your father is the reincarnation of Uther Pendragon. And Henry VIII. That should please your mother as well.” More laughter. I frowned.

“But my dad is sweet and kind and gentle. Nothing like either of those kings.”

“He is the way he is because of circumstance. Both his previous incarnations suffered heavy losses to make them as they were. Had they had your mother for as long as he had, they too would be kind and gentle. She has that influence, your mother.”

“Oh. That makes sense. And for my brothers, let me guess. Alex is obviously Gwaine. And Ed? Hmm, I’d say Leon.” I mused.

“Right on both counts.” Merlin verified.

“Awesome! Can I tell them?”

“I can help them remember, if you want. There’s a spell. I used it already on Morgan, Matt, Moira and the others.” Merlin told me, helping me to my feet and into a chair.

“A spell? Why didn’t you use it on me?” I asked, confused.

“Because, you needed to remember on your own.” He told me. I frowned at him.

“But what if I hadn’t remembered? What would happen then, _Mer_ lin?” I teased, emphasizing his name the way I had when I was Arthur. He laughed again. I really liked his laugh.

“You would have either way. You were starting to, weren’t you?”

“I was getting flashes of it. I thought it was just my vivid imagination playing out scenes from the myths in my head.” I sighed, slumping into the chair.

“You still slouch. You always slouch. A king shouldn’t slouch.” Merlin touched my shoulder.

“I’m not a king. I guess technically I’d be a queen now, right? Am I the only one who was gender swapped during my reincarnation?” I asked, intrigued. It felt weird to know about living as a man and a woman first hand. Different bodies, one consciousness. Very weird.

“Yes, you’d be Queen now. And no, you weren’t the only one who switched genders. Two others were as well. You already know one of them, in fact, I believe. You know several of your reincarnated people already, actually, other than your family.” Merlin told me. I gasped.

“I do? Who is it? Who are they all? Chloe? Liam? Gloria? Auntie Sam?” I asked, thrilled.

“All the people you listed are reincarnated. And one of them is in fact gender swapped. Do you want to guess?” Merlin grinned at me.

“Honestly, the only one I’m certain of is Liam. He’s Gaius, isn’t he?” I smiled at Merlin. In my Arthur memories, as I started to refer to them, I saw that Gaius had been something of a father figure to Merlin.

“Yes.” Merlin replied, a sad look crossing his face briefly. “I knew the moment he walked into your house. Of course, I knew who your other friends were too. Chloe is Freya—“

“Freya? As in the druid girl you were in love with?” I knew that from the legends more than anything. I also knew I sounded petulant and jealous, thinking that he was still in love with her and that he would run off with my best friend the first chance he got. Morgan must have sensed it in my tone because she burst out laughing and replied before Merlin could.

“Was being the key word, hun. He’s been in love with you for far longer.” My eyes widened and Merlin blushed deeply. Merlin was in love with me?

“Morgan!” Merlin hissed, glaring at her. “You can’t just say things like that when she’s already in shock! You’re going to give her a heart attack!” I blinked at him

“Is it true? Are you in love with me?” I asked, my voice small, and more than a little hopeful. I knew I was in love with him. I had been since I was Arthur. Merlin sighed and took a deep breath before looking at me.

“Yes, I am.” He said, his voice strong. I smiled brightly.

“Good.” I said, “Cuz I love you too, you dollophead.” He grinned.

“That’s my word.” He said, as he had said to me many times before, when we were prince and servant, inseparable and so in love we had no idea.

“Of course it is.” I said affectionately. “Now, tell me who the rest of my friends are.”

“Well, Gloria is Lancelot, you Aunt Sam is Kilgarrah, the Great Dragon, and Liam’s boyfriend Adam is the baby dragon, Aithusa.” He told me, with a laugh. Morgan’s eyes widened.

“Why didn’t you tell me you found Aithusa!” She accused, while I looked at Merlin in shock.

“Gloria is Lancelot? Awesome. Wait, dragons? Auntie Sam is a dragon? Mom’s gonna get a kick out of that. Wait, are you still a dragonlord? Does that mean you can control them?” I babbled on. Merlin looked between me and Morgan, obviously unsure of what to say.

“I didn’t tell you, Morgan, because I didn’t want you to go chasing after him. He has no idea yet and I didn’t want you to confuse him like you confused Arianna.” He told her, then he turned to me, “Yes to all of those. Now that you have remembered, we can gather them and do the spell. You also need to meet the rest of the knights. They already remember, some with the spell, some without.”

“Oh! When can I meet them?” I asked, excited. Merlin grinned at me.

“Tonight, if you’d like. We can have a dinner party of sorts.” He said. Then he turned to Morgan, “Morgan, call the knights, have them meet us at my house. It’s time for everyone to meet their Queen.” He continued.

“I’ll call my family and my friends.” I said, excitedly. Then I frowned. “Where is your house, Merlin?” I asked, remembering that I had no idea where he lived. For some reason, Merlin laughed.

“It’s just outside the city. Big, castle like, you won’t miss it.” He told me.

“You mean that big castle I always for some reason thought would be what Camelot looked like? You live there?” I asked in awe.

“Yep, that one. I designed it myself.” Merlin confirmed. I grinned.

“Awesome. We’ll be there.” I said, and stood up. Impulsively I leaned forward and kissed Merlin right on the lips, then with my face burning, I smiled and left. I practically ran to my car. Oh my god. Why did I do that, why did I kiss him? What if he didn’t like it? What if it was bad? I’d hardly ever kissed anyone, maybe I was a terrible kisser. These were the thoughts that ran through my head and I got into my car and pulled out my phone. I texted Gloria and Chloe and Liam, then I called my mom.

“Hey Mom, this is going to sound really weird, but I need you and Dad and Alex and Ed to meet me at that big house on the edge of town. You know, that castle like one that I love?” I said when she answered.

“Sure, sweetie. Is something wrong?” She asked.

“No, you could say something is really right.”

“Oh?”

“You’ll understand when you get there. Just, um, wear something nice and promise me you won’t freak out when you get there?” I said, suddenly wondering what would happen when my mother remembered her past lives. Anne Boleyn had been beheaded after all. By her king. My dad.

“Freak out? Why would I freak out?”

“Just promise me, okay?”

“Alright. I promise, Ari.”

“Thanks, Mom! See you soon.”

“Okay, sweetie, love you.”

“Love you too, Mom, bye!” With that I hung up the phone and started the car. I drove right to Merlin’s, since it was almost dinner time anyway. I wondered if he was home yet. There were a few cars parked in the driveway by the time I got there. None of them were my parents or friends’, so I waited in the car for a bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know, you want to know what happens next. You will shortly. Its mostly written but this alone is over 2000 words and I figured this would be a good place to split it. And you will find out who the knights are in the next chapter, at the end of which I will post a handy who's who list for you.


	4. Memories Returned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone gets their memories back and greets their queen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See, I told you it'd be quick! Read, review and enjoy!

Chloe and Auntie Sam arrived first. Chloe came and knocked on my window, which I rolled down.

“Ari? What’s up? Why are we here?” She asked.

“You’ll see.” I said cryptically, just ask Liam and Adam pulled up, with Gloria close behind. My family was the last to arrive. I got out of my car then.

“Well, here goes.” I told them. They stared at me. My face was quite red, knowing I would now have to face Merlin after that kiss, not to mention the knights. And I was sure Morgan would never let me live that down.

“Here goes what? What are we doing?” My Dad asked. Then he frowned at me. “Are we breaking and entering?” He asked suspiciously. I laughed.

“No, Dad, we were invited.” I told him, leading the way up to the front door, which opened automatically, whether by magic or technology, I wasn’t sure. My friends and family followed me in.

“Took you long enough, your Majesty.” I heard and saw Morgan grinning at me. “Nervous?” She asked.

“Very.” I replied. I actually liked Morgan. In the earlier Arthur memories we had been very close and some of that closeness remained.

“Don’t worry. He was thrilled. Trust me.” She didn’t mention the kiss, but I knew that was what she was referring to.

“If you say so.” I said. And she smiled reassuringly at me.

“Are you going to introduce us, honey?” My mom asked. I laughed. I’d totally forgotten.

“Oh yes. This is Morgan Black, everyone.” I said. “She’s a friend of Merlin’s.”

“Merlin? As in _Professor Emrys?”_ Alex asked, grinning cheekily.

“Yes, Alex. Don’t even start.” I warned. Luckily, before he could say anything more, Merlin entered the hall.

“Arianna.” He said, smiling sweetly at me. I blushed deeply. He then turned to the others. “Jessie, Henry, lovely to see you both. Alexander, Edward, I believe we met once? And your parents and sister have told me a lot about you. Liam, Adam, Chloe, Samantha, I believe we have met briefly as well? And you must be Gloria, I have not had the pleasure of meeting you yet, but Arianna has told me about you.” He greeted every single one of them. By name. I was speechless. He was so polite.

“Merlin! Is this your house? Ari has loved this house since she was little!” My mom gushed. I rolled my eyes.

“Yes it is. I designed it myself. I’m glad she likes it. Now, I have invited you all here for a meeting of sorts. It’s a bit difficult to explain. Please, follow me to the main sitting room, the others are waiting there.” He said, and led us all through the house. When we got there I recognized Moira and Matt, who Morgan went to sit next to, but I did not know who the others were yet.

“Everyone, this is Danny,” A dark-skinned man about my age nodded, “Nathan,” Another dark-skinned man, a few years older, similar enough to be Danny’s brother, “And Percy.” A very tall, broad-shouldered man.

“Your Majesty.” Percy said softly. It was easy enough to guess that he was the reincarnation of Sir Percival. I inclined my head. Chloe frowned at me.

“Ari, I think you have some explaining to do.” She said.

“I’ll leave that to Merlin.” I told her. Merlin nodded.

“You all might want to sit. This is not going to be easy on you.” He said. They frowned at him. Then Liam spoke up.

“I already remember, Merlin. No need to do whatever spell you were planning on me.” He said. Merlin’s eyes widened. I stared at Liam accusingly.

“You remembered and you didn’t tell me!” I exclaimed. He smiled apologetically at me.

“I’m sorry, your Majesty. I knew you had to remember on your own.” He told me.

“Okay, what’s going on here? Why does everyone keep calling Ari ‘your Majesty’?” Gloria asked.

“Merlin, just do the spell.” I said. Merlin sighed.

“Don’t blame when you hurt yourselves because you wouldn’t sit down.” He muttered, at which I grinned. Only my mother had sat down. She was willing to believe many things. Merlin snapped his fingers and his eyes glowed gold for a moment. Chloe, Adam, Gloria, Alex, Ed, Auntie Sam and my parents all gasped. My dad collapsed onto the couch next to my mom. The others collapsed onto the ground.

“Your Majesty.” Gloria murmured in awe, looking up at me. I smiled at her. My mom blinked at me.

“Oh my. This explains a lot. Oh wow.” She said. Then her eyes went wide and she looked at my dad. “Henry…” My dad was sobbing.

“Oh, I’m so so so sorry.” He murmuring, holding my mom close. Then he looked up at me.

“I’m so proud of you, my child.” He said. I smiled at him.

“Why the fuck was I a Dragon?” Auntie Sam interrupted then. I laughed. Adam blinked at her.

“You were a dragon? I was a Dragon too!” He exclaimed. Liam stared at him.

“Well, maybe we should all introduce our former selves. To avoid, confusion.” I suggested.

“Good idea, your Majesty.” Ed said, speaking up for the first time. I smiled at him.

“Thank you, my most loyal knight.” I told him solemnly.

“Hey! I was loyal too!” Alex interjected. Merlin laughed.

“You were a drunk and a flirt.” He told my brother, who had once been Sir Gwaine. Alex laughed too.

“Good to see you again, Merlin old pal. You don’t look any different. Were you even reincarnated?” He asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Nope. Perks of being a warlock and a dragonlord. I don’t age unless I want to.” Merlin told him with a laugh. I remembered how close Gwaine and Merlin had been in the past. It was nice to see they could still joke.

“Alright you two, let’s get on with it. I’ll go first. I was King Arthur. Now I’m Queen Arianna. Alex, you go next.” I interrupted before they could drag us too far off topic.

“Fine. I was Sir Gwaine. Now I’m Alex, the Queen’s baby bro.” He said. I rolled my eyes at him.

“I was Leon, now I’m Edward, also the Queen’s younger brother.” Ed went next. I looked at my parents after that.

“I was Ygraine de Bois, Queen of Camelot and Arthur’s mother. I was also Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII. Now I’m Jessie, the Queen’s mother.” My mom said. She looked to my Dad.

“I was Uther Pendragon, King of Camelot and Arthur’s father. And King Henry VIII of England.” My dad said, still clutching Mom tightly.

“I was Freya, a druid girl. Now I’m Chloe, best friend of the Queen.” I grinned at Chloe, who glanced at Merlin, then at me and grinned brightly, giving an approving nod. I nodded in return. She was giving us her blessing.

“I was Gaius, Court Physician at Camelot. Now I’m Liam, also best friend of the Queen.” Liam smiled at Merlin then at me as he spoke.

“I was Lancelot, Knight of Camelot. Now I’m Gloria, friend of the Queen.”

“I was Kilgarrah, the last great Dragon, imprisoned under Camelot until Merlin freed me. Now I’m Sam, the Queen’s honorary Aunt.” Auntie Sam introduced herself with such pride I nearly laughed.

“I was Aithusa, the Dragon Merlin called from the last egg, friend and protector of Morgana. Now I’m Adam, Liam’s boyfriend.” Adam said. He looked at Morgan and she smiled at him.

“I was Morgana Le Fay, half-sister of King Arthur. Now I’m Morgan Black.” Morgan was the first of Merlin’s friends to introduce herself.

“I was Mordred, and I was many things, Knight of Camelot, druid, and slayer of King Arthur. But I won’t do that again, I promise. Now I’m Matt Black, brother of Morgan.” Matt smiled apologetically at me once more and I inclined my head with a forgiving smile.

“I was Morgause, sister of Morgana, and high priestess of the old religion. Now I’m Moira, sister of Morgan and Matt.”

“I was Guinevere, wife of King Arthur. Now I’m Danny.” I stared at him. And blinked a few times. He laughed at my startled look. “Oh don’t worry, I’m over you, your Majesty, I have no desire to be royalty again.” He assured me. I smiled.

“I was Elyan, brother of Guinevere and Knight of Camelot. Now I’m Nathan, brother of Danny.” I had been right, Nathan and Danny were siblings, as Gwen and Elyan had been.

“I was Sir Percival, Knight of Camelot. Now I’m just Percy.” Percy was the last to introduce himself. I smiled at everyone. Merlin clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention.

“Now that that’s over with, I had an idea, that I know our Queen and her mother with love, but I’m unsure how everyone else will react.” He announced.

“An idea?” I asked. He grinned.

“Follow me everyone.” He said and made his way out of the room. I caught up with him and slipped my hand into his. He smiled at me.

“Thank you.” I whispered, “For helping them all remember.” He squeezed my hand.

“You’re welcome, my Queen.” He whispered back and kissed my cheek. I blushed and heard my brothers hoot and cat-call.

“Where are we going?” I asked, louder.

“The stables.” He replied. I smiled and turned to see my mother’s face light up. No one loved horses as much as my mom did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, I did it again. Same excuse. But the next chapter is almost finished as well. Oh, and here's your reference list:  
> Arianna ~ Arthur  
> Jessie (Ari's mother) ~ Ygraine/Anne Boleyn  
> Henry (Ari's father) ~ Uther/Henry VIII  
> Alexander ~ Gwaine  
> Edward ~ Leon  
> Chloe ~ Freya  
> Liam ~ Gaius  
> Gloria ~ Lancelot  
> Sam ~ Kilgarrah  
> Adam ~ Aithusa  
> Morgan Black ~ Morgana  
> Matt Black ~ Mordred  
> Moira Black ~ Morgause  
> Danny ~ Guinevere  
> Nathan ~ Elyan  
> Percy ~ Percival


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin has many surprises for Arianna and her family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this took so long. I was without internet for a while and I also couldn't decide where I wanted this to go. I have decided now, so hopefully updates should be quicker, but I can't make any promises. As always, read, review and enjoy!

We all followed Merlin out to the stables. He snapped his fingers to open the polished wooden double doors. We filed inside, my mom practically quivering with excitement. Merlin stopped and turned to everybody.

“Alright, you are all free to pick any horse you’d like, except the black stallion, which is mine, and the horses that Morgan, Matt, Moira, Danny, Nathan and Percy have already chosen.” He said, as those he mentioned went to their already chosen horses. He then looked at my mom. “I have a special horse for you, Jessie. If you’d follow me?” He said, smiling at her. She leapt up and down in excitement and followed him along the row of stalls. I went with them, curious to know which horse he thought my mom would love.

Finally we reached a stall near the end. I peered over the half-door to see a beautiful Arabian mare. My mom let out a small squeal and approached the stall. The mare stuck her head out and sniffed my mom, who stroked her nose.

“Flaxen chestnut.” My mom murmured, “The only way an Arabian can resemble a Palomino.” Oh, yes, this was the horse of my mom’s dreams. The colouring of a Palomino and the features of an Arabian. My mom turned to Merlin, though she still stroked the mare’s face, “Does she have a name?” She asked him. Merlin shook his head.

“I thought you could name her, since she’ll be yours. She’s 6 years old, fully-trained in the basics, jumping, trail riding, both English and Western style. She’s as sweet as can be, and clearly she likes you.” He told her.

“For me?” My mom asked. “Really? Oh thank you, Merlin! I’ll name her Dream. Moonlight Dream.” My mom gushed. Merlin pointed out the brushes and tack next to the stall.

“These are for your personal use. Why don’t you brush her down and tack her up while I show Arianna her horse?” He suggested. My mom grinned and nodded. Merlin turned to me. “Come, Arianna, I have something special for you too.”

“Okay.” I said, following him to another stall, across the wide aisle from the one containing Dream. I looked inside. A tall back mare stared back at me and tossed her head.

“She’s a Friesian, like my stallion. His stall is right next door.” He said, indicating the stall beside the back mare, where I saw a similar looking stallion. “They’re a mated pair, actually.” He added, blushing a little. I smiled.

“She’s beautiful.” I breathed. “And so is he. What’s his name?” I asked, looking at the stallion. Merlin smiled.

“His name is Dancing Shadow. I call him Shadow, usually. The mare hasn’t got a name yet. I left that honor up to you.” Merlin told me. I watched the mare for a moment, watching the way her eyes sparkled in the darkness of the stall and her glossy black coat shone.

“Black Jewel. I’ll call her Black Jewel.” I decided.

“That’s beautiful, and well suited.” Merlin told me, beaming with pride. I grinned and clucked my tongue at Black Jewel. She came forward and butted her head against me. I laughed.

“Hey, Jewel.” I whispered, stroking her long forelock off her forehead, noticing a white star there, in the shape of a rough diamond. Jewel whickered at me and I smiled at her.

“Want to go for a ride?” Merlin asked. I looked up at him.

“Oh yes, I would love to!” I said excitedly, reaching for the brushes beside the stall and unlocking the door to head inside. Jewel eyed me calmly and stood while I brushed her. It felt soothing, being around horses. I’d been riding since before I could walk, in both of my lives. In this one, my mother had taken great pleasure in showing me the wonders of horses. I remembered being very small, and my mother holding me while she showed me how to brush down a horse. The two of us had always felt at home in a horse stall, with the scents of hay and horse in the air. I smiled to myself as I finished brushing down Jewel and began to tack her up with the beautiful saddle and bridle Merlin had provided.

I guided Jewel out of the stall once she was all tacked and saw that both Merlin and my mother had their horses tacked too. I glanced down the aisle to see that a few others were finished as well. My mother smiled at me.

“You know, I’d always wondered where my love of hoses came from. Both Anne Boleyn and Ygraine de Bois loved to ride. I guess it’s what you could call a constant.” She said thoughtfully.

“Mom, you loving horses has little to do with your past lives and you know it.” I told her with a knowing look. She sighed and gave me a small smile.

“I suppose you’re right, Ari. Horses saved my life, plain and simple.” She amended. My mother did not speak of her childhood often and most of what I knew came from Uncle Alex. And what I did know was not good. It was frankly no wonder Mom and Uncle Alex never spoke to their parents. I was shaken out of my thoughts by another voice.

“Ari! Mom! Look at this stallion! Isn’t he stunning?” My brother Alex led a fully tacked up chestnut Quarter Horse stallion towards us. Ed was close behind, leading a dappled gray mare. Mom smiled brightly at him.

“He is, sweetie! Beautiful!” Mom gushed. She had done her best to instill a love of horses in all her children, not just me. Both Ed and Alex liked horses quite a bit, though I personally thought it was impossible to love horses as much as my Mom did. The others had tacked up there horses as well. Dad had chosen a white gelding, a Thoroughbred by the look of it. Even Auntie Sam, who rarely rode, had chosen a blue roan mare, who was tossing her head as Chloe helped her mother fasten the bridle in place, while her own chosen mount, a bay Friesian mare, stood all tacked up not far away. I watched them all with a smile.

“Everyone ready?” Merlin asked, his voice carrying down the barn aisle. He received affirmative responses from everyone and he smiled widely.

“So, do we have a destination, Merlin?” I asked, as we both led our horses out of the barn and into a grassy field outside. Several mounting blocks stood at intervals along a fence, but many of our group simply swung themselves into the saddle, as did Merlin and I. Auntie Sam and Chloe, along with Gloria and Liam, used the mounting blocks. Liam first helped Adam into the saddle of his gelding, the boy only having ridden once or twice.

“We do, but it’s a surprise.” Merlin told me, with a mischievous glint in his eye. I raised my eyebrows.

“I don’t do well with surprises, you now that, Merlin.” I reminded him. He just laughed.

“You’ll like this one, your Majesty, I promise.” He informed me, giving me one of his brilliant smiles.

“If you say so, _Mer_ lin.” I laughed too. I looked around to see that everyone had mounted up and were guiding their horses towards us.

“Alright everyone, Arianna and I shall lead the way.  Jessie, if you and Henry wouldn’t mind bringing up the rear? Make sure no one gets left behind?” Merlin instructed. My mom and dad nodded and maneuvered their horses to the back of their small group. Auntie Sam rode close to my mom, never having been overly comfortable on horseback. With everyone settled into place, Merlin nudged his horse forward and I quickly followed suit, pleased when my mare responded well, following her mate but also listening to my commands.

I wondered where we were headed but let Merlin lead the way, knowing he wanted everything to be perfect and I was sure his surprise would be amazing anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, its a cliffhanger! And more surprises, haha. But I hope you weren't bored by this chapter, as it was mostly focused on the horses. Thanks for reading!


End file.
